NEW YORK -- Sixty-nine percent of school board members say that school board meetings are dominated by people who have special interests or agendas, according to a new nationwide survey by nonpartisan, nonprofit Public Agenda. Only one in four (25%) considers the meetings to be very effective for communicating with large groups such as parents and teachers (another 58% say they are somewhat effective, and 16% say they are not effective at all). Yet a majority of school board members (51%) admit they rely most heavily upon board meetings to understand community residents' views about public schools.

Just Waiting to Be Asked? A Fresh Look at Attitudes on Public Engagement surveyed 686 superintendents, 475 board members, 404 teachers, and 809 adult members of the general public on attitudes on community involvement. Increasing communityand especially parentinvolvement is a key goal of many educators. The research focused particularly on public engagementa widely discussed strategy of community involvement that emphasizes getting feedback from the public and broadening discussions to include nonparents, employers, and others. The research is sponsored by: the American Federation of Teachers; the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University; The George Gund Foundation; the National School Boards Association; and the Office of Educational Research and Improvement, U.S. Department of Education.

Public Agenda president Deborah Wadsworth will discuss elements of the survey as well as other public engagement issues at the National School Boards Association 61st Annual Conference today, 12:30 p.m., PT, in the San Diego Ballroom at the San Diego Marriott Hotel & Marina.

A Dysfunctional Platform for Community Input

District leaders say they are eager for public involvement, but the very venue they rely on most to listen to the publicthe school board meetingseems to be dysfunctional, at least for this purpose, says Deborah Wadsworth.

According to the survey, strong majorities of district leaders74% of school board members and 73% of superintendentssay they would like to see more community involvement in the schools. However, the survey also suggests that community involvement faces strong competition for district leaders' attention. When asked to pick the most pressing issue facing your school district these days, just 4% of superintendents say communication between the school and community residents is the most pressing issue (53% point to raising student achievement, another 32% to school funding).

Teachers Feel Out of the Loop

In another key finding, the survey shows that teachers, more than any other group, feel that their judgement is ignored. Relations among other stakeholders are much more positive.

• Seventy percent of teachers say they are often left out of the loop in their district's decision-making process.
• When district leaders talk with teachers about school policy, only 23% of teachers believe that the motive is to gain a better understanding of the issues and concerns of the teachers. Seventy percent say the motive is to win teachers' support for what the district leadership wants to accomplish.
• Eighty-seven percent of superintendents and 77% of board members say the relationship between the school board and superintendent is mostly cooperative; they also see positive relations between the schools and groups representing business, seniors and religious organizations.

School leaders need to pay attention when teachers feel alienated and ignored, says Ms. Wadsworth. A lot of reformsespecially standards reformsneed teachers to carry them out in the classroom. What's more, because teachers talk to parents all the time, they either strengthen support for the school's mission or undermine it. The survey finds seven in ten teachers (70%) say parents rely on them most when it comes to learning about what is happening at the schools.

Low-Performing Schools Prompt Desire for More Input

Just Waiting to Be Asked? also looked at parent and public attitudes. Majorities of both groups say there should be more community involvement in the schools, but they are willing to delegate substantial responsibility over school policies to educators. The chief exception is when people believe the local schools are not performing well.

• Fifty-five percent of parents and 60% of the public at large would like to see more community involvement in the schools.
• However, 74% of parents and 66% of the public say they feel comfortable leaving school policies for educators to decide.
• Fifty-three percent of parents say their involvement is limited to my child's education at home.
• But of those in the general public who rate their schools as fair or poor, almost three in four (74%) want more community involvement in the schools (only 52% who rate their schools as excellent or good agree).

Despite worries among some educators that nonparents and seniors resent public schools for the tax dollars they consume, the survey found that there was less difference than one might expect.

• Just 30% of seniors (compared to 23% of nonparents and 16% of parents) say taxes are the first thing they think of when they think of schools.
• Very few school board members and superintendents say their districts have organized senior citizen groups that take positions on school policies (12% and 12%, respectively).

Just Waiting to Be Asked? was written by Steve Farkas, Patrick Foley and Ann Duffett, with Tony Foleno and Jean Johnson. Public Agenda's Web site includes a summary of the findings, data charts and other information related to the report.

A print copy of the report is also available from Public Agenda for $10, plus $2 shipping and handling. Many groups, including Public Agenda, have active public engagement programs and prepare materials for community use.

Methodology: Just Waiting to Be Asked? is based on three nationwide random sample surveys: a mail survey of 686 public school superintendents and 475 school board members; and, telephone surveys of 404 K-12 public school teachers and 809 adult members of the general public, including 205 parents of public school students in grades K-12 and 522 nonparentsdefined as those who do not have any children school-age or younger. The surveys were conducted on various dates between July and November 2000. The margin of error for the teachers' survey is plus or minus five percentage points. The margin of error for the 809 members of the general public is plus or minus three percentage points; for the 205 parents it is plus or minus seven percentage points; for the 522 nonparents it is plus or minus four percentage points. The margin of error for the superintendents' survey is plus or minus four percentage points; for the school board members it is also plus or minus four percentage points.

Public Agenda, located in New York City, is well respected for its influential public opinion polls and its balanced citizen education materials. Founded in 1975 by Cyrus R. Vance, the former U.S. secretary of state, and Daniel Yankelovich, the social scientist and author, its mission is to inform leaders about the public's views and to inform citizens about government policy.